Short Remarks
at the Press Briefing
by the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
New York – 24 February, 2015
Good morning everyone,
Just this past week, we have been seeing a flurry of political activities here in NY and in Washington, all revolving around one theme and one question: How to counter violent extremism and terrorism.
Indeed this is very timely, as the world has been witnessing in the past few weeks and months the alarming rise in the wave of extremism, terrorist attacks and continued incitement to hatred. These horrific attacks are not confined to one country, one continent, one race, or one religion. They happened in Paris, and Nigeria; In Copenhagen and North Carolina; In Myanmar, Pakistan , Australia, the Middle East and elsewhere. This is the simple and ugly truth : terrorism knows no boundaries .
These unjustifiable acts have culminated into targeting killings against innocent people from different faiths, resulting in stereotyping, xenophobia and racism. Such unwarranted prejudices violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and International law.
They also run contrary to the values of the United Nations Alliance of civilizations which embraces as its core mission the promotion of cultural diversity, respect of the other, tolerance, and inclusiveness.
This is the new and emerging global challenge threatening peace and security of the human family in the 21st century. What shall we do as an international community? How to stop it?
As you know the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations has the mandate and responsibility to build bridges between societies, to promote peaceful dialogue and tolerance as well as engage in preventive diplomacy.
I invited you to this briefing today because I wanted to brief you on the work that we are engaged in:
- Few months ago, I proposed to the President of the General Assembly Mr. Sam Kutesa to convene a High Level Meeting at the General Assembly on the theme : Promoting Tolerance and Reconciliation : Fostering Peaceful, Inclusive Societies and Countering Radicalization.I would like to thank the Secretary General for his support of the proposal. He had mentioned the proposed meeting in his address before the summit in Washington. My office is coordinating closely with the office of President Kutesa regarding the working paper and setting a date for the meeting which will probably take place in May or June this year.
- UNAOC is working to provide substantive engagement on interreligious and intercultural approaches regarding Combatting Violent Extremism.
- The Alliance is engaging with member states, stakeholders, religious leaders, youth, grass root organizations and academia with the aim of finding new means and ways of promoting understanding and tolerance.
We believe that the next battle is not a military battle : it is the battle of ideas. This is a more daunting task than the military solution because it requires long term plans ,dealing with the root causes, and finding solutions accordingly.
These solutions are not possible if the international community does not come together with the civil society, political and religious leaders , academia and of course the media. As we talk about the battle of ideas, the media has a crucial role in shaping perceptions.
I leave it there, and I am ready to take your questions.